Please open your Bibles to the Epistle to the Ephesians,
chapter 1:9 (2X). While you are looking this up, think about the
following facts: Can we fully understand our God? No! We know that our
God is incomprehensible. I wrote that word on the board for the kids,
that they may know how it is spelled. God is incomprehensible, which means that
we can never fully understand who God is and what all His
attributes are. Nevertheless, when we have become saved we have become the
Bride of Christ, and as His Bride we are very eager to know more and
more about our Bridegroom. Therefore, we are happy when we can glean from the
Bible more information about our God, and about His wonderful works in this
universe. Now, that is our objective in this sermon. The title of this sermon
is God's Eternal Purpose for This Creation. Wow! Can we really
know what God's eternal purpose for this creation is? Do we have Biblical
evidence for that? That is why I had you turn to Eph 1:9, where we rd

About The
Mystery of His Will(2X) (Eph 1:9, Matt 13:11)

Eph
1:9Having made known unto US the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself:

First of all, what is "the
mystery"? In the Bible a mystery is something that was hidden
in the past, but now it has been revealed in the Gospel. Christian mysteries
are revealed doctrines, which were formerly hidden in the Word of God,
but now they have been revealed. To the world the Gospel is foolishness,
because they are not able to comprehend it. They see it as shrouded in
mysteries, which they cannot understand. But to Christians the mystery of God's
purpose of redemption through Christ has been revealed. Here, in Eph 1:9,
"the mystery of His will" refers to the previous verses, where
God says that He has made US accepted in Christ, and through Christ, "In
whom WE have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according
to the riches of His grace". When God, through His Holy
Spirit, made known unto US this mystery of His will, WE had the privilege that
God made it known to US; God did not give this understanding to everyone
in the world, but He gave it to US, freely by His grace. The definition
of grace is unmerited, unconditional favor. God revealed to US that WE have
obtained "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins",
and it is a gift that is unmerited, which means it is not deserved for anything
we have done or are going to do. Can you see that there is an element of exclusivity
here? Let me quote to you another example. In Matt 13, when the Lord
Jesus was preaching in parables to the Jews, His disciples asked Him, "Why
speakest Thou unto them in parables?" Speak to them plainly because
they cannot understand parables.

Mt
13:11He answered and said unto them,
Because it is given unto YOU to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given.

Therefore, to the disciples it
was given to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of heaven, meaning it was
given to them to know salvation, but to the masses of people standing
outside it was not given. God has decided to give salvation to some people, but
to others God chose not to give it. That is plainly called "Election"
and "Reprobation". Let us now continue with the remainder of Eph
1:9.

#1.That Which God Has
Purposed in Himself (Eph 1:9, 1:4-6)

Eph
1:9Having made known unto us the
mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself:

Why did God "make known unto US the
mystery of His will", and He did not make it known to the rest of
mankind? God did that "according to his good pleasure",
which God in His wisdom "hath purposed in Himself". In other
words, God did not elect this one and that one and the one over there
arbitrarily, like eeny miny moo here is another one; but God has a grand plan
and we fit into that plan like stones fit into a fabulous building which God is
building. This fabulous building is God's temple, and it is part of that which
God has purposed in Himself and for Himself.

What God is communicating in Eph 1:9-10 is the ultimate goal
of God for creating this universe, and creating the world with all the plants
and all the animals, and God's purpose in creating mankind, and creating all
those who are His elect people whom He is going to save. God made known unto US
this "mystery of His will". This mystery in the first
place refers to the message of salvation in the previous verses. But in the second
place, this "mystery of His will" also refers to the future
destiny of all things, which verse 10 is pointing to. When we have reached that
future destiny we can look back and see the reason for which God has
created US, "according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in
himself". These words of verse 9 are resounding what God already said
in Eph 1:4-6,

Eph
1:4According as he hath chosen us in
him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without
blame before him in love:

Eph
1:5Having predestinated us unto the
adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself, according to the good pleasure
of his will,

Here we see again the statement
that God predestinated us "according to the good pleasure of his
will". God did not do it for anything we have done, or
could do, or any qualifications in our bloodline, or any promises made to our
forefathers, but God did it "according
to the good pleasure of his will". And God did this, God
chose us, God set us apart from the rest of mankind "before the foundation
of the world", in order that our salvation might not rest on anything
happening on this world, but that our salvation rests on the actions of God
alone. This is what brings glory to God. That is why we read in:

Eph
1:6To the praise of the glory of his
grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the beloved.

The
Counsel of the Lord Standeth Forever (Ps 33:11, Isa 14:24-27)

Put a sticker here in Eph 1:9, and please turn to
the middle of your Bibles, to Psalm 33:11 (2X). Different people have
asked me, not once but several times, "Pastor, why do you preach so often
on election?" The answer is plainly here in Eph 1:4-6. It is "the
good pleasure of His will" to elect some, and it serves "to
the praise of the glory of His grace". God predestinates some people
to go to heaven entirely according to the good pleasure of His will, and this
decision that God made is according to the glory of His grace. The glory of
God's grace, meaning God's unmerited favor, is upheld by this plan
of salvation, which God has designed. Therefore, we glorify God when we
proclaim that God saves by electing people unto salvation. On the other hand,
when we proclaim the gospel of works that people become saved by them accepting
Christ, we are glorifying man. And when we preach that God looked down the
corridors of time and God saw this person and that person accepted Christ, and
therefore God awarded them with salvation, we are glorifying man, because we
are giving praise to the actions of man. This is an insult to God, who
alone does the entire process of salvation.

But if I focus only on Election,
separately from everything else that God is and that God does, then I am doing a
great injustice to the work of God, because I am not painting the work of
God in a proper perspective. Both election and reprobation are parts of predestination,
and this again is part of the Counsel of God in the full sense of the
word, as it pertains to all things. Therefore we must first focus on the
whole plan of God concerning all things before we focus on the individual
parts of that plan. This is the reason why in this sermon I am talking about God's
Eternal Purpose for This Creation. This is the first sermon of a series
in which I would like to show how the works of God tie together in one
harmonious whole. We read in Psalm 33:11 (2X),

Ps
33:11The counsel of the LORD standeth
for ever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations.

What is the Counsel of the Lord?
God's Counsel is the eternal thought and will of God concerning all
created things, plants and animals and man and angels and the sun and the moon
and the stars and everything else there is in this universe. God's Counsel
includes all of these throughout all history from the beginning to the end of
time. God's Counsel is also called God's Decree, because God has
determined from before the foundation of the world what their destiny will be. Please
turn to your right in your Bibles till you come to the Prophecy of Isaiah,
and turn there to Isa 14:24 (2X). In Isa 14 God speaks about Babylon,
and about the king of Babylon, and about Lucifer falling from heaven, and about
the king of Babylon again, and about Babylon again. Thereby God indicates that
the king of Babylon is a picture of Satan, who first was the angel Lucifer.
God used Satan to do the work that fits perfectly in God's plan, and then God
judges Satan for the wicked intents of his heart. God does that

For
His Own Purpose and Grace (Rom 9:18, Isa 46:9-11, 2Tim 1:9)

Babylon is not the only nation
which came against Judah. Assyria, which is another Chaldee nation, also
represents the kingdom of Satan, and the king of Assyria also represents Satan.
In Isa chapter 10 God says that He uses Assyria as "the rod of His
anger" on the nation of Israel. Then God judges the king of Assyria
for the wicked intents of his heart. God says in Isa 14:24,

Isa
14:24 ¶ The LORD of hosts hath sworn, saying, Surely as I have thought, so
shall it come to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand:

Isa
14:25That I will break the Assyrian in
my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot: then shall his yoke depart
from off them, and his burden depart from off their shoulders.

Isa
14:26Thisisthepurposethatispurposeduponthewhole earth: and this is the hand
that is

stretched out upon all the
nations.

Isa
14:27For the LORD of hosts hath
purposed, and who shall disannul it? and his hand is stretched
out, and who shall turn it back?

When we read in verse 26, "This is
the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth",
we understand that this is how God operates. This is what God does, not
just with the king of Assyria, but this is what God does with every individual
in this world, both with the elect and with the reprobate. That is why God says
in Rom 9:18, "Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will (have
mercy), and whom he will he hardeneth". That is why God
says in Isa 14:24, "Surely as I have thought, so shall it come
to pass; and as I have purposed, so shall it stand". And God
does that without making people robots. What God has purposed from before the
foundation of the world, that will absolutely come to pass. Not because God
looked down the corridors of time, but because God causes things to come to
pass the way He planned it. Please turn to Isa 46:9 (2X). There God
speaks about the deliverance of Israel from Babylon and the destruction of
Babylon by the Medes and the Persians. God says:

Isa
46:9Remember the former things of old:
for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there
is none like me,

Isa
46:10Declaring the end from the
beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet
done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:

Isa
46:11Calling a ravenous bird from the
east (Cyrus), the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yea, I have
spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I
will also do it.

And perhaps you remember the words of 2Tim 1:9, where God
says:

2Ti
1:9Who hath saved us, and called us
with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own
purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, (Before the world began we were given to
Christ.)

God's grace "was given
to us in Christ Jesus before the world began". How was God's grace
given to us? We did not exist yet, and our souls did not exist yet, but we were
in Christ since He was our Representative. He represented us as by
proxy. Before the world began God's Counsel determined that He would save
us from the clutches of Satan and that He would bring us to Himself. And what
has this to do with the purpose of God in creating us? We read that God's
purpose is:

#2.That He Might Gather
together in One (Eph 1:10)

Please turn again to the Epistle to the Eph 1:10.
Why has the all-wise God chosen to save us, whereas He chose not to save others.
What is His goal? What is the outcome? What has God determined in Himself? What
is the end of all the works of His hands? Here in Eph 1:9-11 we read
about the actions of God the Holy Spirit in revealing to us that we have become
saved, and revealing to us God's purpose in creating us and saving us.
We have read in verse 9 what God has purposed in Himself, in His
Counsel, with respect to the eternal purpose of all His works. Then we read in V.
10,

Eph
1:10That in the dispensation of the
fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both
which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him:

There can be no doubt that this
verse deals with the eternal good pleasure of God. He has purposed in
Himself from before the foundation of the world how things should be in the
end. And God is not just speaking about all the elect, because God says
emphatically "all things", and God specifies these things
as those "which are in heaven, and which are on earth". What
has God, from before the foundation of the world, determined in Himself with
respect to this present creation? We see in verses 9 and 10 first of all
that the entire creation shall be intimately connected and be a harmonious
unity. Is all creation a harmonious unity now? No! The creatures are
now separated and pitted in battle against each other. Plants are
killing other plants. The animal world is divided, animal against
animal, and animals against mankind. Microbes and viruses are attacking
mankind. The world of mankind is divided: the reprobate are persecuting
the children of God, and even the children of the Devil are pitted in combat
against each other. In the spirit world Satan and his demons are in a
spiritual battle against those of mankind whom they hate the most, and angels
are sent by God to be ministering spirits to those who shall be heirs of
salvation and heirs of God. But here in Eph 1:9-10 God teaches us that it
was God's purpose from before the foundation of the world to unite all
things again into a higher and all inclusive unity, both the things in heaven
and the things on earth.

Secondly, we see that all things will be
gathered together "in Christ", and they are governed by Christ
as King. This is what God has purposed in Himself, and God will bring it to
pass. God decided the end, and God sovereignly determined the way and
the means that should lead to that end, sin and death included. God cannot be
frustrated. This also means that creation shall be most intimately united
with God, since Christ is God. This also means that all creatures who
oppose Christ as their Lord will be removed into a place called Hell,
and all things that have been defiled by them shall be destroyed, so that in
the end situation only righteousness shall dwell where the Saints shall
be. It will be a perfect universe where everything and everyone is united under
Christ as the head. This is what verse 10 teaches us. Will there be many
whom God has saved out of this world? The Bible says:

And
All Nations Shall Come (Isa 2:2-3)

Please turn again to the Prophecy of Isaiah,
chapter 2:2 (2X). Here is a Messianic prophecy, referring to the spread
of the Gospel in the NT time. Many chapters in Isaiah contain teachings that
pertain to the NT time, from Pentecost in AD 33 until the Last Day. The
foundational teaching through the Prophecy of Isaiah is that despite powerful
worldly rulers and demonic forces, God will prevail and establish His
Kingdom of Righteousness. We read in Isa 2:2,

Isa
2:2And it shall come to pass in the
last days, that the mountain of the LORD'S house shall be established in
the top of the mountains, and shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations
shall flow unto it.

"The last days",
or "the latter days", is in the Bible a technical term
referring to the entire NT time. The mountain of the Lord's house refers to the
Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of heaven is the same as the Kingdom of God,
and the Kingdom of God has two aspects. The Kingdom of God in heaven is
a Kingdom where only righteousness dwells. God is there. When Christ ascended
into heaven, 40 days after His resurrection from the dead, Christ was crowned
King of kings and Lord of lords, and Satan and his demons were cast out of
heaven. The Kingdom of God on earth on the other end refers to the
church, as long as there are saved beings in that church. For example the
Mormon Church and the Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses have no part in the
Kingdom of God on this earth, because there are no saved people there. If I
may paraphrase Isa 2:2, it says that in the NT time the church of the Lord
Jesus Christ shall be established in the top of the kingdoms on this earth. It
shall be exalted very high, and people from all tongues, and tribes, and
nations shall be drawn to it. Historically this is what happened. Many
earthly empires, including the Roman Empire were brought in subjection to the
church. Spiritually the Kingdom of God is far superior to any other
kingdom on this earth.

Isa
2:3And many people shall go and say,
Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the LORD, to the house of the God
of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for
out of Zion shall go forth the law, and the word of the LORD from Jerusalem.

There will be many, from
all tongues, and tribes, and nations who shall come to worship in the house
of the God of Jacob. Why did God use the name Jacob here? The name Jacob is
not a nice name. It means Supplanter, or Deceiver. Jacob was a
first class deceiver, until God met him and wrestled with him at the Jabok
river, and there his name was changed to Israel, which means "Prince of
God". And then we remember that God said, "Jacob have I loved, but
Esau have I hated". Jacob was an elect child of God before he was
born. Jacob did not deserve it for he was a deceiver, but God chose to save
him. And so it is with us, and with many who have become saved. We do
not deserve to be saved, but God saved us, and then we become identified with
the Israel of God. What a glorious transformation that is. Are you not glad
that He is the God of Jacob? But since we were like Jacob, sinners
rotten to the core, we have to be taught how to live like a child of the King.
That is why we read in verse 3, "and he will teach us of his
ways, and we will walk in his paths". If we truly have become
saved then we will walk in His paths, because God has given us a new heart in
which we do not want to sin any more. Throughout time there have been many
who have received this 2nd birth. Is it not wonderful that God has made known
to us what His eternal purpose was for this creation? But God did not save us
to make us feel good. God saved us for His purposes, and one of those purp. is:

To
Reconcile All Things Unto Himself (Col 1:16,20)

Please turn in your Bibles to the Epistle to the Colossians
1:20 (2X). You know where to find Col, I hope. Remember "Go Eat
Pop-Corn", which stands for Galatians Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians.
In Col chapter 1 we find an exaltation of the Lord Jesus Christ that is an
fitting complement of the words we find in Eph 1:9-10. We read in Col
1:16, "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that
are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or
dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and
for him". "All things were created by Him" because He is
God, and they were created for Him, because this was the eternal purpose
of God that in the end of time "He might gather together in one all
things in Christ". But don't leave it at that. God's purpose
for choosing us, works even now while we are still living on this earth. We
read in:

Col
1:20And, having made peace through the
blood of his cross, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I
say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.

Through His suffering and death
at the cross Christ has made peace between God and US. Was there no
peace between God and US? Yes there is no peace between God and all mankind,
because all mankind is conceived and born in sin. The Bible says that we are by
nature sinners and haters of God, and are siding with the Devil, because
Adam sold all his posterity into bondage to Sin and Satan. But Christ made
peace between God and US, by atoning for our sins. Christ did not atone
for the sins of every human being in the world. This can be seen clearly in all
the Gentile nations who have lived before AD 33, they have lived and
died without Christ, and will be cast into Hell for their sins on the Last Day.
God did not choose to save them and therefore Christ did not atone for their
sins. But on the cross the Lord Jesus Christ did not only purchase all
those people whom the Father had given Him, but He also purchased the right
"to reconcile all things" unto Himself. And here in Col 1:20
we read that by "all things" is meant "all things, whether
they be things in earth, or things in heaven".
So then, where do we come in?

#3.What Inheritance Have
We Obtained? (Eph 1:11)

Please turn about 15 pages to your left, to Eph 1:11
(2X). There we read about the inheritance that we have obtained. God does not
say that we shall obtain an inheritance in the future, on the Last Day,
but we have already obtained an inheritance. What is that inheritance?
We read in Eph 1:11,

Eph
1:11In whom also we have obtained an
inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh
all things after the counsel of his own will:

In Christ we have obtained an inheritance, while we
are still living on this earth. This inheritance is an integral part of "being
predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after
the counsel of his own will". In other words, we have been
predestinated to be the instruments through which God works to
draw to Himself "all things after the Counsel of His own will".
It is God's purpose to work through people as His spokesmen, as His prophets,
to draw to Himself those things and those people that He intended to draw to
Himself, as He had determined in His Counsel before the foundation of
the world. That is our inheritance now, while we are still living on
this earth. We will also receive an inheritance later, on the Last Day, but our
inheritance and our eternal life begins now. We have received the church as
our family in Christ. It is a fact that there are still a lot of unsaved
people in the church. We should not be too worried about the unsaved people in
the church. Let God worry about them. We have received the Bible and we read in
the Bible that we are used by God as His instruments to draw to Himself "all
things after the Counsel of His own will".

Wow! Is it not exciting to be used as God's instruments? We
have been drafted into God's service. We have been chosen, and called, and have
been transformed from servants of Satan to servants of God. How can we
serve God? Is there anything that we can do to show Him our gratitude for
saving us? We would be delighted to be of service to Christ, for the
furtherance of His Kingdom. We read in the Bible about the salvation of a
wicked man: Saul of Tarsus. And we read how he was used in the service
of God as the Apostle Paul. Can we take Saul of Tarsus as our example? Please
turn about 75 pages to your left, to the Acts of the Apostles,
chapter 26:13 (2X). In this chapter the Apostle Paul is in Caesarea
where he recounts to king Agrippa, and to governor Festus, and to a great
company of captains and principal men of the city, about the vision he received
on the road to Damascus and about his conversion in the city of Damascus. What
an opportunity! And Paul told that Jesus said:

Ac
26:13At midday, O king, I saw in the
way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about
me and them which journeyed with me.

Ac
26:14-15And when we were all fallen to
the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue,
Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against
the pricks.And I said, Who art thou,
Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest.

Can you see the enormous
honor that God has bestowed
upon us? Saul was persecuting the church. He thought he was persecuting the
followers of Jesus. But the Lord Jesus Christ informed him that he was
persecuting Jesus personally. This is how much the Lord Jesus identifies
Himself with us. In the Bible we are called the Bride of Christ, and we are
called the Body of Christ. But little did we realize that we have been so
identified with Christ that when someone is hurting us, it is as if they have
hurt Christ personally. This is how much Jesus owns us and protects
us. Then we read in:

Ac
26:16But rise, and stand upon thy
feet: for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister
and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in
the which I will appear unto thee;

Ac
26:17Delivering thee from the people,
and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee,

Ac
26:18To open their eyes, and to
turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan
unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them
which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

This was God's purpose, "to
make him a minister and a witness", and sending him to the unsaved in this
world, "To open their eyes, and to turn them from
darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may
receive forgiveness of sins". This was Saul's inheritance. Did Saul like this? Absolutely yes!
When Saul was saved he was immediately on fire for the Lord. He was witnessing
for Christ so effectively that the Jews wanted to kill him, and the Christian
disciples had to smuggle him out of the city of Damascus by night. But do we
realize that this is our inheritance also? We should examine our life. Are
we on fire for the Lord? Do the haters of God also hate us for our witness?
This is our inheritance here on earth. We should be delighted that we
have received such an assignment to be of service to Christ. Do we show by our
actions that we have received this great inheritance? Because, if you are not
on fire for the Lord, you might not be saved. Let us now look at:

An
Inheritance Incorruptible (1Pet 1:3-5)

Please turn about 150 pages to your right to the First
Epistle of Peter, chapter 1:3 (2X). You will easily recognize
this chapter, because I use verse 2 of this chapter every other week to
give you the greeting from the Lord. This is one of the few places where all
three Persons of the triune Godhead are named. These are God's words,
sent to us for our comfort. God says in 1Pet 1:3,

1Pe
1:3 ¶ Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which
according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

1Pe
1:4-5To an inheritance incorruptible,
and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,Who
are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed
in the last time.

When did the Body of Christ become alive
again? It was on resurrection Sunday, when the Spirit of Christ entered again
into His body, and He rose from the grave. The Bible says that we were raised
with Christ. That is why we are also called the Body of Christ. We are
so intimately identified with Christ that His bodily resurrection identifies
with our resurrection, by proxy. Just like with Christ, our resurrection
occurs in two steps. The resurrection of our soul identifies with the
moment that Christ rose from the grave. The resurrection of our body identifies
with the moment that 40 days later Christ ascended into heaven. That is why God
in verse 3 says that the Father "hath begotten us again unto a
lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead".
Then in verse 4 God promises us an incorruptible inheritance, which has
been reserved in heaven for us. What is that inheritance? Some people
identify this inheritance with a private mansion for each of us in the New
Heaven and the New Earth, where the streets are paved with gold, and where the
gates are gigantic pearls, and so on. This is a very materialistic outlook on
the glory we shall receive in the life hereafter. Instead we should be
looking forward to be with Christ. He is our Bridegroom. There could be no
greater reward for a Bride than to be with her Husband for all eternity. Just
like God said to Abraham: "I am thy shield and thy exceeding great
reward". When we have Christ we can enjoy Him forever. Who
cares about streets of gold? When we have Christ we have everything. We will adore
Him and be forever amazed at the glory of our Husband, in ways that are not
describable in terms of this universe.